Afghanistan is a country of origin for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and labor. Children are trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for forced begging, labor, and sexual exploitation. Some parents pay smugglers to take their children into Iran and Saudi Arabia, hoping their children will find work and send remittances; once there, the children become subject to coercive arrangements that constitute involuntary servitude. Children are also "loaned" by their parents to perform agricultural and domestic work within Afghanistan in return for wages paid to the parents; these arrangements often develop into involuntary servitude. Women and girls are kidnapped, lured by fraudulent marriage proposals, or sold into forced marriage and commercial sexual exploitation in Pakistan. Women and girls are also trafficked internally as a part of the settlement of disputes or debts as well as for forced marriage and labor and sexual exploitation.

Afghanistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Afghanistan has a taskforce and national action plan focusing exclusively on child trafficking. It now needs to implement its comprehensive national plan of action against all forms of trafficking. Afghanistan needs to establish a shelter for women victims of trafficking as it has done for child victims. It should also deal with corruption within its police forces, as many perpetrators are not brought to justice. Implementation of these reforms is complicated by the fact that Afghanistan still faces resource limitations and daunting challenges in exerting control over some of its provinces.

Prosecution

Afghanistan’s law enforcement actions against trafficking are hard to quantify and evaluate, as the government does not compile and keep central data on its prosecution activities. Reports indicate that out of a possible 20 suspected cases of child trafficking, two resulted in convictions, three resulted in acquittals, and six are still being prosecuted. Afghanistan does not have anti-trafficking legislation; however, it can use its other laws to prosecute trafficking and related crimes. The government should implement a comprehensive anti-trafficking law to combat all forms of trafficking. It should also aggressively investigate and prosecute elements within its police force that are complicit in trafficking.

Protection

Afghanistan improved its victim protection activities in 2004. It continued operating a transit center in Kabul to assist children deported from destination countries. It also used innovative family tracing and reunification systems to facilitate the return and reintegration of children. In addition, Afghanistan has a procedure by which parents/guardians are required to certify their children’s safe return to them – a procedure meant to reduce the re-trafficking of child victims. In 2004, Afghanistan, with the assistance of UNICEF and IOM, started reintegration projects in the Baghlan and Takhar provinces for deported children from Saudi Arabia and Iran. Afghanistan, in collaboration with UNICEF, provided anti-trafficking training for officials in frontline agencies. NGOs provided clothing and temporary shelter to victims.

Prevention

The Government of Afghanistan improved its efforts to combat trafficking through prevention activities over the reporting period, due largely to improved security in certain provinces, increased access to education, cessation of war and conflict, improved border control, and improvement in people’s standard of living. In 2004, Afghanistan completed a study on child trafficking and approved, translated, and distributed an action plan to combat this form of trafficking to all provinces. Afghanistan should conduct a similar study for all forms of human trafficking and adopt a plan of action to combat it.

Albania is a source country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor, largely to Greece and Italy, where many victims are then further transited to the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Albanian children, especially ethnic Roma and Egyptian, continue to be trafficked externally for forced begging. Regional and international experts consider Albania to have significantly decreased as a transit country for trafficking in Western Europe.

The Government of Albania does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government remained committed to monitoring and preventing trafficking at the country’s main ports and produced successful interdictions. However, implementation of Albania’s anti-trafficking tools remained inadequate and a critical area of concern. Greater, proactive steps in the areas of protection and reintegration are needed to ensure the safety of victims. The government must apply available laws and programs, in addition to improving prevention for vulnerable groups. Trafficking-related corruption must also be addressed.

Prosecution

In 2004, the Government of Albania continued to arrest, prosecute, and convict traffickers. Its courts prosecuted 132 traffickers and handed down 121 convictions. Commendably, over half of the sentences during the reporting period were over five years in length and 30 traffickers were sentenced to more than ten years’ imprisonment. In September 2004, the government adopted legislation that includes broad civil asset forfeiture provisions, requiring the accused trafficker to prove the legitimacy of sources of wealth. Prosecutors, however, had yet to employ the forfeiture provisions. Serious resource constraints and corruption among government officials continued to hamper anti-trafficking efforts. The government continued to investigate police involvement in trafficking; in 2004, four police officers were investigated for offenses related to trafficking. The government did not prosecute or convict any officials for trafficking complicity during the reporting period.

Protection

The government provided some facilities and personnel to assist trafficking victims, and operates its own National Reception Center; NGOs have two additional shelters. The government has begun work on a national referral mechanism involving law enforcement, social services, and NGO partners to improve the initial identification, reception, protection, and reintegration procedures for returnee victims. Police slightly increased the number of ad hoc referrals made to shelters in Albania via IOM and NGOs. Police referred 274 victims to the Vatra Center, a leading NGO in Albania providing shelter and reintegration services to victims. Notably, a number of police directorates opened their own temporary shelters to accommodate trafficking victims. However, regulations necessary for the implementation of witness-protection measures adopted in 2003 have yet to be finalized. In 2004, the Government of Albania established a witness relocation program and adopted special witness protection provisions allowing for endangered witnesses in trafficking cases to testify via remote video link. The program remains unfunded.

Prevention

In 2004, the government conducted few prevention programs, and continued to reply primarily on NGOs and international organizations to carry out such activities. The Ministry of Education began to incorporate prevention activities into school curricula. In 2004, the government adopted a newly improved Strategic Framework and National Action Plan that outlines a comprehensive and targeted approach to trafficking. However, few aspects of the plan have been funded or initiated. In February 2005, the government also finalized its Child Trafficking Strategy and Action Plan.

Algeria is primarily a transit country for men, women, and children trafficked from Central and Western Africa en route to Europe for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation. Once in Algeria, some women find themselves exploited in prostitution, usually by a family member, when their financial situation becomes dire. African and Algerian human smugglers use deception and fraud to entice would-be victims from their countries by falsely promising victims easy passage through Algeria to destinations in Europe. They then abandon their victims after they cross over Algeria’s vast and porous border in the south. In addition to instances of trafficking for prostitution cited above, desperate economic circumstances force some men to seek work as laborers in construction and other menial work. There are reportedly an estimated 200,000 illegal immigrants in Algeria, some of whom are believed to be trafficking victims.

The Government of Algeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government has expressed willingness to address the problem through regional cooperation with similarly affected countries in the region. It needs to build on this initiative and develop appropriate policy mechanisms to more effectively tackle the problem. There is currently a plan underway to set up an office to combat trafficking, which will include appointing a national anti-trafficking coordinator to oversee and coordinate its anti-trafficking activities. This office should also develop and implement a national plan of action to combat trafficking, a mechanism for differentiating between trafficking victims and illegal immigrants, and a comprehensive anti-trafficking law that punishes traffickers, provides for the protection of victims, and facilitates prevention programs.

Prosecution

During the reporting period, Algeria has not done much to prosecute traffickers, largely because it does not systematically differentiate between trafficking victims and the thousands of illegal immigrants in the country. Although Algeria does not have specific anti-trafficking legislation, it has various criminal laws that could be applied to combat trafficking. However, there is no evidence the government has used these laws to prosecute traffickers, including those who reportedly subject victims into prostitution. Police and security officers regularly arrest illegal immigrants and deport them, but they do not systematically screen them to determine whether they are trafficking victims and subsequently accord them proper protection services.

Protection

The government did very little to protect victims of trafficking during the reporting period, largely because its law enforcement officers do not have a procedure in place to positively identify victims.

There is no government-run shelter for the protection of victims, but the NGO International Committee for the Development of People (CISP) provides services for such victims in the Tamanrasset area. The government should increase its cooperation with NGOs and civil society members engaged in the provision of shelter and other services to victims.

Prevention

Algeria’s efforts to prevent trafficking improved over the last year. In 2004, several members of the Algerian Coast Guard attended anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking training in the United States. The government should work with CISP and other NGOs, which have anti-trafficking public campaigns in place, and continue working with sources and destination countries to combat trafficking.

Angola is a source country for children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Angolan girls move back and forth across Angola’s border with Namibia to engage in prostitution with truck drivers. There are unconfirmed anecdotal reports of trafficking for the purpose of child commercial sexual exploitation in Angola’s cities. Small numbers of children may also be trafficked for forced agricultural labor.

The Government of Angola does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. To further its anti-trafficking efforts, the government should launch a trafficking-specific public education and awareness campaign in trafficking-prone communities and expand programs that provide direct protective assistance to children in prostitution.

Prosecution

The government's anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts improved during the year. Angola does not have a law that specifically prohibits trafficking in persons. However, constitutional and statutory laws criminalizing forced or bonded labor, prostitution, kidnapping, and illegal entry are used to prosecute trafficking cases. In March 2004, government authorities opened their first specific trafficking investigation into a case of six girls who were lured to farms in Huila province with promises of employment and then sexually exploited. While it is regrettable that there was no conviction or sentence, the case was ultimately settled out of court, with the trafficker making restitution to the victims’ families. Statistics were unavailable on other trafficking-related cases investigated and prosecuted by the government during the year. In December 2004, UNICEF conducted a train-the-trainers session on the enforcement of trafficking-related laws and immigration standards at the borders; 28 individuals, mostly Directors of Provincial Border Posts, attended this session. In March 2005, the border post directors in Bunguela province used this training to conduct a week-long training session for 25 immigration officials on combating child trafficking.

Protection

Government efforts to protect trafficking victims continued during the reporting period. The government funds 20 percent of its anti-trafficking programs, and provides in-kind human resources and facilities. Through its social welfare agencies, the government provided basic assistance to seven trafficking victims in Luanda; an unknown number of victims were assisted in other regions of the country. In 2004, the government started a program with the Catholic Church near the Namibian border to assist child victims of trafficking with reintegration into the community. The program’s initial focus was on providing basic literacy and skills training, such as locksmith skills, tinsmith skills, or carpentry, to give trafficking victims viable future opportunities. The government, assisted by UNICEF, continued implementation of the post-conflict child soldier protection strategy, specifically targeting registered child soldiers. Former child soldiers were provided skills training, psychological services, temporary housing, and assistance with civil registration. To date, 3,750 of the 4,000 registered child soldiers have been assisted by these programs.

Prevention

During the period, the government made progress in preventing trafficking from occurring. The Immigration Service began enforcing a law requiring documentation for international air travel of children unaccompanied by their parents. Airport immigration officials prevented 78 children from departing Angola for lack of required documentation in 2004. The Ministry of Justice’s child registration program registered approximately four million children during its three-year nation-wide campaign that ended in late 2004. The registration of these children limits the number of undocumented and therefore vulnerable children. The Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration helped approximately 4,500 separated children reintegrate into their families and communities of origin. The National Commission to Combat Child Labor and Trafficking in Minors began drafting a national plan of action to combat child trafficking. Government statements against children in prostitution and abuse of children's rights appeared frequently in local media.

Argentina is primarily a destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation. Most victims are trafficked internally, from rural to urban areas, for exploitation in the commercial sex trade. Some Argentine women and girls are trafficked abroad, mainly for sexual exploitation in Brazil, Paraguay, or Spain. Women and children are trafficked from Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil for commercial sexual exploitation, and migrants from neighboring countries are sometimes trafficked to Argentina for other types of forced labor. Traffickers often threaten or inflict physical violence, restrict victims’ movements, and forge documents to conceal the nationality and age of victims.

The Government of Argentina does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Officials investigated and prosecuted cases related to commercial sexual exploitation rings, and the government named a national coordinator on trafficking issues. Future government actions should address the slowness of the judicial process and ensure that any official involved in or facilitating trafficking is prosecuted. The government should also implement national policies to protect victims, prevent trafficking, and strengthen efforts to prosecute traffickers and collect data on trafficking crimes and prosecutions.

Prosecution

Law enforcement investigated and prosecuted some trafficking-related cases, but heavy case loads for prosecutors, Argentina’s slow judicial process, and, in some instances, police officer complicity in trafficking activities hampered efforts to combat trafficking during the reporting period. The government lacked a coordinated law enforcement strategy and a comprehensive anti-trafficking law. The government used other laws to address trafficking-related crimes, with penalties ranging from one to 20 years in prison. During the reporting period, authorities investigated at least two new cases of trafficking for sexual exploitation involving more than four traffickers. Two other investigations of alleged trafficking-related disappearances remained pending, with some suspects in detention. Argentine courts convicted three traffickers who sexually exploited women and girls from Paraguay; defendants received four to 12 years in prison. There were no allegations of national government officials involved in trafficking, but prosecutors launched new investigations of police involved in trafficking women for commercial sexual exploitation, and a case implicating 19 officials in trafficking-related offenses remained pending in the courts.

Protection

Individual provinces provided some assistance to trafficking victims, but resources were insufficient for comprehensive care and protection. Prosecutors encouraged victims to support prosecutions and referred them to victims of crime centers, but no government services met specific trafficking victim needs and few NGOs worked directly with victims. A bill with provisions to assist and protect trafficking victims remained pending in Congress. The project "Luz de Infancia," which is aimed at combating commercial sexual exploitation of minors, assisted 18 children. Identified trafficking victims were not detained or forcibly deported, but not all officials understood the difference between trafficking and illegal migration or prostitution that was not trafficking-related. IOM repatriated nine women victims and dependents to their home countries; government agencies consulted IOM about additional cases involving approximately 20 women.

Prevention

Government prevention efforts during the reporting period were localized and failed to educate the wider public. The Luz de Infancia program in Puerto Iguazu and Buenos Aires municipal programs offered public awareness and education outreach. Buenos Aires authorities ran a telephone hotline, a poster campaign, and education for secondary school and public health officials on identifying and assisting victims of child sexual exploitation. The Foreign Ministry trained consular officers to assist victims. The government organized or participated in workshops and meetings on trafficking throughout the year. In late 2004, it appointed a national anti-trafficking coordinator to improve coordination of government and civil society efforts.

Armenia is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey. Some evidence indicates that Armenian victims were trafficked to other European countries as well. According to UN estimates, up to 1,000 Armenian women work as prostitutes in the U.A.E. and Turkey, most of whom are victims of trafficking.

The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Armenia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List this year because of its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the past year. Specifically, the government failed to disseminate or implement any elements of its January 2004 National Action Plan. The government should take proactive steps to officially distribute, publicly support, and implement this plan as soon as possible. Notably, trafficking-related prosecutions and convictions increased; however, reluctance to apply the new anti-trafficking statute produced insufficient penalties. The government adopted an anti-corruption program and created a task force in 2004; however, it failed to take any measures beyond issuing a rhetorical pledge to address trafficking-related complicity.

Prosecution

Article 132 of the criminal code prohibits trafficking in persons and provides for a maximum penalty of four to eight years’ imprisonment. However, the government overwhelmingly applied Article 262 of the criminal code — a lighter pimping charge. Out of 16 convictions in 2004, the government applied the 2003 anti-trafficking statute (Article 132) only once; the remaining 15 convictions under Article 262 produced much weaker penalties. While the government increased the overall number of trafficking-related convictions, the cases produced outcomes ranging from six-month to two-year sentences, suspended sentences, corrective labor and fines. These penalties are not commensurate with Armenian penalties for other grave crimes, such as rape. Indications of official collusion and complicity among government officials hampered the government’s efforts to adequately tackle Armenia’s trafficking problem. Members of the Procuracy allegedly assisted traffickers and border guards accepted bribes facilitating traffickers’ movements across the border. The government failed to investigate or prosecute government officials complicit in trafficking.

Protection

Armenia’s anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts remained anemic over the last year. While Armenia’s law provides trafficking victims with protection, the government largely failed to provide this assistance during the reporting period. NGOs and international organizations continued to provide the majority of victim protection and widely reported good cooperation with the government. The government did not issue any formalized or standard operating procedures for police to follow when encountering possible victims of trafficking. In the absence of a formalized referral mechanism, police informally referred victims to local NGOs. Police also referred potential victims of sexual exploitation for medical screening and treatment as necessary. The rights of victims were generally respected. The police often failed, however, to treat victims’ identities with confidentiality. Victim assistance programs reported sheltering 15 victims in 2004.

Prevention

Cooperation between the government and NGOs continued to help raise awareness about trafficking in Armenia. The government sustained its program of providing housing to vulnerable children released from Armenian orphanages. The Department of Migration and Refugees initiated anti-trafficking discussions on several local talk shows. Lack of official recognition of the problem within many sectors of the government, however, contributed to the overall lack of progress. In a recent interview, the Minister of Justice declared that "trafficking does not exist as a phenomenon in Armenia." Informally, the government made a preliminary effort to engage bilaterally with Georgia, but did not develop any pro-active programs to assist Armenian victims in transit or destination countries.

Australia is a destination country for women from Southeast Asia, South Korea, and the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) who are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Some of these women travel to Australia voluntarily to work in both legal and illegal brothels but are deceived or coerced into debt bondage or sexual servitude.

The Government of Australia fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The Commonwealth’s Action Plan to Eradicate Trafficking in Persons provided substantial financial and personnel resources to combat the problem both domestically and internationally. Over the last year, the government further refined its anti-trafficking program. In 2004, the government made significant and greater efforts to combat trafficking, including developing further legislation to criminalize aspects of trafficking and increase penalties for trafficking-related offenses, increasing prosecutions, and enhancing victim assistance. The government should consider expanding its protection efforts to cover victims who cooperate with the police but are not part of a viable investigation.

Prosecution

The Australian Government made progress in its efforts to prosecute trafficking-related offenses. Trafficking cases were prosecuted under various statutes including provisions in the Commonwealth Criminal Code, the Crimes Act, and the Migration Act. During the reporting period, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigated 38 trafficking cases that led to the prosecution of 14 traffickers in five cases involving 24 victims. There were no trafficking convictions during the reporting period. The AFP’s Transnational Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking Team, a 23-person unit dedicated to investigating trafficking cases, was charged with determining whether a person is a trafficking victim, often after an initial referral from Australia’s immigration agency. In addition to improving law enforcement efforts, the government has been developing further legislation to criminalize aspects of trafficking and increase the penalties for trafficking-related offenses. The government also used the Crimes Act to convict Australian citizens and residents who traveled abroad to engage in sex with minors less than 16 years of age. Since 1994, 13 pedophiles have been convicted under this law, which carries a maximum sentence of 17 years.

Protection

In 2004, the government took significant steps to improve efforts by police and immigration authorities to distinguish trafficking victims from illegal migrants. The Australian Government also made progress in identifying and eliciting the cooperation of trafficking victims in providing criminal evidence for the prosecution of traffickers. The government provided all suspected trafficking victims with short-term temporary shelter, medical care, and counseling. If these victims were determined by police to be able and willing to aid in a criminal investigation, they were given social security benefits, housing, medical treatment, legal assistance, social support, and vocational training. Australia’s streamlined police investigation and immigration referral procedures resulted in an increase in the number of suspected trafficking victims referred for visa determinations. During the reporting period, immigration authorities granted 29 bridging visas to trafficking victims. In 2004, the Government also introduced a new witness protection visa exclusively for trafficking victims.

Prevention

The Australian Government continued to expand its efforts to prevent new incidents of trafficking. The government coordinated closely with neighboring countries to investigate trafficking and funded awareness campaigns in source countries. Australian Government funding helped to establish specialized anti-trafficking law enforcement units and to develop prosecutorial capabilities in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. The government demonstrated regional leadership by providing foreign aid to strengthen the capacity of regional police forces to investigate trafficking cases, supported legal education programs to assist lawmakers in improving their capacity to prosecute traffickers, and funded reintegration programs for trafficking victims. Within Australia, the government continued its multi-year community awareness project on trafficking. The Australian Government also widely publicized criminal cases against traffickers. Australia continued its cooperation with foreign governments in the local prosecution of Australian pedophiles or their extradition or deportation to Australia so they could be tried for the extra-territorial offense of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Austria is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, particularly Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, and Ukraine, for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Those victims transiting are bound for other EU countries, especially Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. Trafficking in Romanian children decreased dramatically in 2004, mainly due to cooperation between Austrian and Romanian law enforcement authorities. Trafficking of Bulgarian children for the purposes of forced begging and stealing remains a problem.

The Government of Austria fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. In November 2004, Austria upgraded its working group on trafficking, renaming it a "Task Force" and giving it official status and a mandate. While convictions decreased, the number of trafficking investigations and cases filed under Austria’s amended criminal code increased. The Austrian Government should consider giving greater funding to NGOs that assist larger numbers of trafficking victims each year, and expanding its prevention program to include domestic demand-reduction programs. It should also increase its ability to provide police protection to victims willing to testify and focus more efforts on convicting and sentencing traffickers.

Prosecution

Austrian authorities filed trafficking cases against 348 suspects in 2004, 106 of whom were charged under Austria’s May 2004 article against trafficking. Convictions of traffickers dropped, however, from 27 in 2002 to 11 in 2003 – the most recent conviction statistics available. Each of the 11 convicted served a prison sentence; sentences ranged from six months to three years. The police academy provided police cadets with a one-day training course on trafficking. In January 2005, the Ministry of Justice held a training conference on trafficking for approximately 75 Austrian judges, public prosecutors, police, and officials from the Ministries of Interior and Justice. During the reporting period, there was no evidence that government authorities were complicit in the trafficking of persons. Austrian law enforcement authorities worked closely with police authorities in several source countries where trafficking victims originated. In particular, intense cooperation to stem trafficking in persons continued with Romanian authorities and with the Hungarian border police.

Protection

The Austrian Government maintained its strong trafficking victim protection efforts, and increased the number of victims reached over the last year. The Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Women funded Austria’s primary anti-trafficking NGO, which assisted 167 trafficking victims in 2004, up from 142 victims in 2003. Of those 167 victims, 37 stayed in the NGO’s shelter, with the median stay being 11 to 20 weeks. The government did not keep statistics on the number of temporary residence permits issued to trafficking victims. However, the primary anti-trafficking NGO noted that 14 out of the 17 trafficking victims that requested temporary residence permits received them. Continued residence for trafficking victims is possible in certain cases. Trafficking victims identified by trained police officers, or with the help of an NGO if police suspect trafficking, received full rights under Austrian law and access to the Austrian social system for the duration of the case. Austria’s principal shelter provided secure housing for trafficking victims while in Austria. No trafficking victims were under witness protection status in 2004.

Prevention

In early 2005, Austria initiated a domestic anti-trafficking campaign; the State television broadcaster began airing UN public service announcements to raise trafficking awareness and reach out to trafficking victims. The Foreign Ministry continued to distribute information packets through Austrian embassies in Eastern Europe to potential trafficking victims to inform them of where to go to get help in Austria. The Austrian Government did not include domestic demand-reduction programs as part of its overall prevention efforts. During the reporting period, the Austrian Government worked with the Romanian Government to train victim assistance personnel through an exchange between shelters in Vienna and Bucharest. Austria has no national action plan or public planning document to fight trafficking.

Azerbaijan is primarily a country of origin and transit for women and children trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Azerbaijani, Russian, Ukrainian, and Central Asian women and girls were trafficked from or through the country to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Turkey, Pakistan, and India. Internal trafficking of women and girls appeared to be an increasing problem. There were some reports of men trafficked to neighboring countries (e.g., Turkey and Russia) for forced labor.

The Government of Azerbaijan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The Government of Azerbaijan is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year because of its inability to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the reporting period. The government’s efforts remained in preliminary stages of implementation. However, government recognition and acknowledgement of the problem increased and progress was made in a few notable areas, particularly in the drafting of anti-trafficking legislation and amendments to the criminal code. In addition, the government increased the number of its trafficking investigations and established an anti-trafficking police unit. The Government of Azerbaijan should ensure full implementation of its national action plan, formalize a victim referral and protection system, provide adequate anti-trafficking training for police, and properly vet officers on the anti trafficking unit.

Prosecution

Anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts in Azerbaijan remained anemic during the last year. The government drafted anti-trafficking legislation and amendments to the criminal code, but did not officially adopt them during 2004. The government continued its use of trafficking-related charges of slavery, rape, coercion into prostitution and inducing a minor into prostitution to investigate trafficking crimes. The government in 2004 reported 106 trafficking-related investigations, ten of which resulted in convictions – a decrease from 20 convictions in 2003. Eight perpetrators received one-year prison sentences and two female offenders were reportedly released because they had children. The government created a special anti-trafficking police unit and developed operational guidelines for the unit, though the unit’s members were not vetted according to international standards. Reports of official complicity continued during the reporting period, yet the government failed to investigate or prosecute any new cases of official corruption during the year. In January 2005, a new anti-corruption law adopted by the Government of Azerbaijan came into force; it aims to reduce corruption and increase professionalism, particularly among police and customs officials.

Protection

During the reporting period, the government did not show evidence of employing a formal referral mechanism or specialized protections for trafficking victims but did informally refer victims to state healthcare facilities, international organizations, and some local NGOs for assistance. The government continued to provide mandatory health screening and treatment to women in prostitution, many of whom the government believes fit the trafficking profile. As previously recommended, the government did not provide these individuals with information on trafficking. The Cabinet of Ministers identified property that will be used to house a shelter for trafficking victims.

Prevention

In May 2004, the President issued an official decree ordering all government bodies to implement Azerbaijan’s National Action Plan and named the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs as National Coordinator for Trafficking. International organizations and NGOs conducted the bulk of anti-trafficking prevention activities; however, cooperation and participation from local government officials increased slightly. A local NGO provided some anti-trafficking training to police. For the first time in 2004, Azerbaijani consular officers began to report potential trafficking cases to international organizations. The government targeted prevention efforts at populations vulnerable to being trafficked and funded the construction of permanent housing for internally displaced persons. The government continued its communication with neighboring governments on transnational crime issues, including trafficking in persons.

Bahrain is a destination country for women and men who migrate legally from South Asia and the Philippines and — to a lesser extent — from China, Indonesia, the former Soviet Union, Morocco, and Ethiopia, but fall victim to conditions of sexual servitude, debt bondage, and other exploitative conditions that constitute involuntary servitude.

The Government of Bahrain does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Bahrain is placed on Tier 2 Watch List because of the lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year. Although Bahrain has developed a national plan of action and created an inter-ministerial taskforce on trafficking, these efforts were not accompanied by concrete actions to address the substantial trafficking problem it faces. During the reporting period, the government did not prosecute any person on trafficking charges, despite continued reports of foreign workers in conditions of involuntary servitude. A promised government-run shelter for trafficking victims has not opened and some prominent Bahrainis reportedly continue to illegally sell "free visas" to workers, thereby indirectly facilitating the trafficking of victims. Bahrain should develop and implement appropriate anti-trafficking measures to address these concerns.

Prosecution

The Government of Bahrain did not improve its prosecution record during the reporting period. Although Bahrain lacks anti-trafficking laws to prosecute traffickers, it has ruled in favor of workers in numerous cases of abuses and non-payment of wages. The Ministry of Labor provides mediation services to resolve labor disputes. In 2004, the Ministry of Labor mediated and resolved 624 complaints and it referred 1,926 complaints to courts, though it is unknown how many, if any, of these cases are trafficking-related. Bahrain reported that it is investigating 43 employers for offenses related to abuse of "free visa" privileges to bring in foreign workers. Press reports indicate that the government arrested and deported foreign women for engaging in prostitution during the year; however, there is no evidence that the government attempted to identify potential trafficking victims among the arrested women. During the reporting period, the government shut down some manpower agencies engaged in trafficking-related offenses. Bahrain’s court system is overburdened with cases; many labor complaints languish in courts.

Protection

The Government of Bahrain took some steps to protect victims of trafficking over the last year. It registered the Migrant Workers Group (MWG) — an NGO working to protect vulnerable foreign laborers — and gave it permission to open a shelter for trafficking victims. Bahrain’s inter-ministerial taskforce on trafficking announced the establishment of a safe house for victims. The government does not, however, take adequate measures to identify trafficking victims and accord them with sufficient protections. In most cases, victims are detained and deported, though the government encourages them to pursue their cases through their embassies. The government’s telephone hotline to assist victims of abuse continues to encounter operational problems and is staffed by people with inadequate training.

Prevention

In 2004, the Government of Bahrain took a few positive steps to prevent trafficking. Despite prior agreement with IOM to conduct a trafficking survey, the project did not materialize, as the government did not grant the necessary permission for IOM to operate in the country. The government announced a plan for conducting public awareness campaigns on the issue of labor exploitation and potential trafficking. It continued to meet with local embassies on a monthly basis to address trafficking-related concerns and distributed pamphlets in Arabic, Bengali, English, Singhalese, Tagalog, Thai, and Urdu to foreign workers. In 2004, Bahrain launched a campaign to educate employers on the country’s labor laws and announced plans to tighten the issuance of visitor visas in response to reports of increased abuses of foreign workers.

Bangladesh is a country of origin and transit for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, involuntary domestic servitude, and debt bondage. Bangladeshi women and girls are trafficked to India, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). A small number of women and girls are trafficked from Burma to India through the country.

Bangladeshi boys are also trafficked to the U.A.E., Qatar, and Kuwait for forced work as camel jockeys and beggars. Women and children from rural areas in Bangladesh are trafficked to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. Young boys are lured into forced servitude in the fishing industry in Dublar Char and other islands in the Bay of Bengal region.

The Government of Bangladesh does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Over the last year, Bangladesh showed commendable progress in all areas of anti-trafficking efforts. Bangladesh established an inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee to oversee its national efforts to combat trafficking, created a national anti-trafficking police monitoring unit with presence in all 64 districts, prosecuted an increased number of trafficking and trafficking-related corruption cases, rescued over 161 boys from servitude in the fishing industry, devised and launched a multi-faceted anti-trafficking public awareness campaign, and increased its cooperation with NGOs involved in the fight against trafficking. Despite these achievements, Bangladesh continues to face a huge trafficking problem, which is compounded by pervasive poverty, weak government structures, and generalized corruption. Bangladesh should expand its anti-corruption efforts to reduce the witting and unwitting complicity of officials in trafficking.

Prosecution

Over the reporting period, the Government of Bangladesh made marked improvements in investigating, prosecuting, and punishing traffickers. Through dedicated district-level anti-trafficking magistrates, the government prosecuted 70 cases of trafficking, resulting in 42 convictions — more than double the 17 convictions from the previous year. Twenty-one cases initiated are in the investigation stage. Bangladesh has also charged 11 officials for trafficking-related corruption; those prosecutions are underway. Although an improvement from the previous year, this anti-corruption effort remains weak compared to the large scale of trafficking in Bangladesh. The government appointed a Deputy Attorney General to coordinate the prosecution of trafficking cases throughout the country, and it created an anti-trafficking police cell to compile statistics and data on trafficking cases and victims and to produce witnesses for trial. Although the government rescued over 161 boys trapped in servitude in the fishing industry, none of their traffickers and exploiters was brought to justice.

Protection

The government primarily relies on NGOs such as the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association for shelter, medical care, counseling, repatriation, and reintegration services. However, it also runs safe houses, which can shelter trafficking victims. During 2004, the government returned 123 victims to their guardians; it also turned over 21 victims to NGO-run shelters and 11 to government-run safe homes. The government cooperates with NGOs and foreign governments in the repatriation and reintegration of victims. Various NGOs provide training to government officials on victim assistance and protection techniques. Although Bangladesh does not provide training to its overseas diplomats on detecting and caring for victims of trafficking, it has plans to collaborate with an NGO to provide such training to its diplomats.

Prevention

During the reporting period, Bangladesh made progress in implementing anti-trafficking preventive measures. Bangladesh’s efforts include launching broad and extensive public awareness campaigns through its national television and radio, conducting anti-trafficking training for religious teachers, and integrating anti-trafficking training material in Bangladesh’s Rifles (Border Patrol) training curriculum. In addition, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs continued its campaign of "Road Marches" to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking.

Belarus is primarily a source country for women and children trafficked to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Japan for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Approximately one-fifth of the victims IOM assisted in 2004 were trafficked for labor exploitation. Organizations reported an increase in men trafficked for forced labor to Russia during the reporting period. Belarus’ borders with Russia and Ukraine remained porous, allowing for the easy movement of people.

The Government of Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. In early March 2005, President Lukashenko signed a presidential decree to combat trafficking in persons; the lower house of parliament approved the decree in early April. Belarus continued to increase its law enforcement efforts, but it lacked adequate funding for victim protection and trafficking prevention. To advance anti-trafficking efforts, Belarus should adopt amendments to strengthen anti-trafficking legislation including defining victims’ rights. The interagency task force should meet regularly. Also, as a major source country, Belarus should provide the training and funding its overseas personnel need to assist trafficking victims.

Prosecution

Belarusian anti-trafficking enforcement efforts increased during the reporting period. Law enforcement authorities prosecuted 290 trafficking cases in 2004, up from 191 in 2003. To detect victims and trafficking schemes, the State Border Guards worked with former trafficking victims. Existing 2001 anti-trafficking legislation prohibits trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation with sufficiently severe penalties. Prosecutors and judges improved their use of this law in 2004; the government secured the first conviction under it in July. The government deals with trafficking for labor exploitation under a separate article with sentences of up to three years’ imprisonment. In total, Belarusian courts convicted 26 individuals for trafficking and recruiting for sexual exploitation. In 2004, the courts imposed penalties for trafficking of three to eight years' imprisonment. In 2004, Belarusian authorities cooperated on trafficking cases with their counterparts from Germany, Austria, Israel, Turkey, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland. While reports continued of bribes to law enforcement and border officials for ignoring trafficking activities, in 2004 the government made strong statements condemning such inducements. In February 2005, the courts found a Ministry of Culture official guilty of complicity in trafficking for sexual exploitation from January 2001 to April 2003. The court sentenced him to eight years' imprisonment and confiscated his personal property.

Protection

The Belarusian Government did not directly fund victim assistance during the reporting period, though it gave some in-kind support to NGOs. In July 2004, the Minsk city government provided building space for an EU/UNDP-funded shelter. The government integrated into its law enforcement training academy an IOM-produced anti-trafficking operations manual that provides guidance on victim detection methods and approaches to working with and assisting victims. According to the Ministry of Interior, it did not arrest, fine, or charge victims with prostitution or immigration violations in 2004; it made 110 direct referrals to IOM during the reporting period. Witness protection of trafficking victims remained inadequate. Overall, Belarusian law and society continued to consider women "victims" only if they were unaware prior to their trafficking ordeal that they would be involved in prostitution; even then, they often suffered as social outcasts.

Prevention

While the government did not conduct independent anti-trafficking information campaigns in 2004, it actively supported those of international organizations. The government aired anti-trafficking public service announcements produced by international organizations on State television channels free of charge. In January 2005, a State-owned television channel aired the UNDP documentary film, Ally’s Dream, which is about Belarusian girls trafficked to Germany and Russia for sexual exploitation. The documentary also ran in selected theaters with strong advertising to students. The government's Task Force to Combat Trafficking did not convene during the reporting period.

Belgium is a destination and transit country for trafficked persons. The majority of trafficking victims in Belgium are young women primarily from Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Europe, and Asia. Particularly prominent source countries are Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, and China. Victims are destined for Belgium’s larger cities or other European countries, usually for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Male victims are typically trafficked for exploitative labor in restaurants and sweatshops.

The Government of Belgium fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to show a well-coordinated system of protection and law enforcement, leading to increased convictions in 2004. The government took important measures to improve penalties for traffickers and streamline anti-trafficking coordination among relevant governmental entities. Expanding public awareness campaigns to target domestic demand would further strengthen Belgium’s anti-trafficking efforts.

Prosecution

In 2004, the Government of Belgium continued its proactive and sophisticated approach to anti-trafficking law enforcement. In 2003, Belgium courts convicted 170 suspects on trafficking-related charges, an increase from 130 in 2002. The government continued to post liaison officers in source countries to assist in case development. In April 2004, it issued a directive to magistrates to prioritize cases involving violations of human dignity, violence, and young victims. In an effort to increase sentences for traffickers, the government submitted a draft bill that will strengthen and align Belgium’s penalties with prevailing international practice. In 2004, the Ministry of Justice established an intranet site for use by prosecutors in pursuing traffickers. A special police unit continued to be responsible for anti-trafficking enforcement. In 2004, Belgian law enforcement teams mounted several joint operations with other counterparts in the region.

Protection

In 2004, Belgium devoted significant resources to victim-assistance programs, and police increased the number of victims referred to three specialized trafficking shelters. The 2004 Custody Act upgraded victim protection by assigning a custodian to minors who are trafficking victims and offered shelter options ranging from specialized centers to placement with individual families. Relocation services were available to victims under threats by their traffickers. NGOs reported excellent cooperation with law enforcement, and in 2004 the three shelters cared for 893 victims. The government continued to provide victims a 45-day "reflection" period of care, during which they can consider whether to assist in the investigation of their traffickers; subsequent government protection is linked to a victim’s willingness to testify. The government continued to repatriate those who choose not to cooperate. The government generally approved long-term residency and work permits for cooperating victims. In extraordinary cases of proven hardship, victims may qualify for a residence permit on humanitarian grounds.

Prevention

The government continued to take innovative and proactive measures to monitor and improve its legislative and institutional response to trafficking. In May 2004, the government restructured its anti-trafficking efforts, instituting coordination cells composed of representatives from all relevant ministerial departments. During the reporting period, the government issued a report reviewing measures it took to prevent the recurrence of fraudulent visa issuance by a Belgian Embassy and consulate as happened in the 1990’s. In September 2004, the government co-sponsored an aware-ness-raising campaign to warn and educate Belgian travelers about child sex tourism. Belgium continued to fund regional and global anti-trafficking prevention campaigns in source countries.

Belize is a transit and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation. Women and children are trafficked to Belize, mainly from Central America, to work in Belize’s growing sex industry. Girls are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, sometimes with the consent and encouragement of their parents. There are also reports of sexual and labor exploitation of men and women in Belize’s banana, sugarcane, and citrus industries. Some Chinese and Indians are trafficked to Belize for debt bondage. Exact numbers of trafficking victims are unknown, particularly the number of transnational trafficking victims, given Belize’s lengthy and porous borders.

The Government of Belize does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Belize is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to fight trafficking over the last year, particularly in the area of victim protection and prosecution of trafficking-related corruption. The government still struggles to investigate trafficking within Belize’s growing sex trade. To augment its trafficking efforts, the government should increase law enforcement efforts under the anti-trafficking law, make appreciable progress in protecting victims, devote resources to preventing trafficking, and take action against reports that officials are profiting and facilitating trafficking in persons.

Prosecution

The government made modest anti-trafficking law enforcement gains over the last year through enforcement of the anti-trafficking statute enacted in 2003. Over the reporting period, there were 18 prosecutions and two convictions of traffickers. However, police and prosecutors lack resources to adequately address trafficking-related matters and struggle to recognize and investigate trafficking-related offenses that may be taking place in Belize’s sex trade. Officials maintain that all prostitution is voluntary, despite some reports to the contrary, and this impedes any further investigation or action. The government has provided some limited training on investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases; additional training is badly needed. There are unconfirmed reports of law enforcement officials’ facilitation of trafficking, including some reports of officials patronizing brothels with trafficking victims and also some who are profiting from illegal migration. There were no known investigations or prosecutions of public officials for trafficking complicity over the last year.

Protection

The government was unable to provide adequate protection to trafficking victims during the reporting period. The anti-trafficking law lays out victim protection policies, but it is impossible for the country to implement those measures because it does not have the capacity or the means to do so. There are very few shelters in the country that have the ability to work with trafficking victims; however, victims are not treated as criminals and services are provided whenever possible. In general, victims are turned over to NGOs that offer protections for women in domestic violence. There is a special residency status for foreign victims, but in reality most foreign victims are deported. Officials maintain that none of the deported women in prostitution are trafficking victims.

Prevention

The government failed to sustain an anti-trafficking prevention campaign over the last year due to lack of resources and poor public understanding of trafficking in persons. Occasionally, the government will run radio public service announcements and newspaper ads about trafficking and the commercial exploitation of children. With little resources and few NGOs and international organizations, Belize struggles to implement any long-term policies to combat and prevent trafficking. The government recognizes this problem and is dedicated to doing more. The government has an anti-trafficking task force and is in the process of developing a national plan of action.

Benin is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Beninese children are trafficked to Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Cameroon for forced labor and prostitution. Beninese children are trafficked within the country for forced labor in construction, commercial enterprises, the handicraft industry, and roadside vending. Children from Niger, Togo, and Burkina Faso are trafficked to Benin for domestic labor and vending. The traditional practice of "vidomegon," whereby poor children are placed with wealthy families, has resulted in some labor and sexual exploitation. Children trafficked outside Benin are trafficked to cocoa plantations in Cote d’Ivoire, rock quarries in Nigeria, and involuntary domestic servitude in Gabon.

The Government of Benin does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Benin is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts in combating trafficking since last year. Anti-trafficking legislation, though now under debate in the National Assembly, has not yet been enacted and endemic corruption inhibits the government’s ability to confront traffickers effectively. To increase its anti-trafficking efforts, the government should increase law enforcement efforts, finalize the much-needed national strategy to address trafficking, and enact specific anti-trafficking legislation.

Prosecution

Benin continued to lack an adequate law enforcement strategy to combat trafficking over the reporting period. At least one civil society organization reported interventions by low-ranking officials to attempt to secure release of traffickers, which may interfere with judicial proceedings and impede prosecutions. A local village chief who claims to be fighting trafficking reportedly was facilitating the trafficking of children. He was arrested and is currently facing charges for his activities. There is no law specifically prohibiting trafficking; however, there are scattered civil and criminal laws that may be used. Anti-trafficking legislation has been stalled in Benin’s parliament for the past three years. Beninese law criminalizes prostitution, kidnapping, forced or bonded labor, and the employment of children under the age of 14; however no data on prosecutions under these laws was provided during the last year. Nonetheless, the Minors’ Brigade reported 37 trafficking-related investigations. The government constructed a new building for the Minors’ Brigade, which may house up to 160 victims of child trafficking and other abuses. The Minors’ Brigade and the Judicial Police received training on how to detect and protect trafficking victims.

Protection

Due to the lack of resources in the country, the government's protections for trafficking victims continued to be inadequate in 2004. The government, in collaboration with NGOs and donors, worked to draft a national strategy to protect and aid child trafficking victims. However, the process is in its nascent stages. Generally, the government refers victims to NGOs for temporary housing, food, and medical care, but the process is ad hoc and inconsistent. The government cooperates with Nigeria, Togo, and Gabon to repatriate trafficked children. Benin repatriates approximately 20 children a month to Gabon.

Prevention

The majority of anti-trafficking prevention efforts in Benin are undertaken by NGOs, due largely to the paucity of government resources. In 2004, the government initiated sensitization campaigns urging local populations to establish anti-trafficking committees. The government provided some members of the committees with equipment, such as flashlights and bicycles, to aid in the detection of trafficking victims and has provided training and some logistical support for the committees. The campaigns highlighted the dangers of child trafficking and educated the public on legal anti-trafficking provisions.

Bolivia is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation to neighboring South American countries, through Spain to Western Europe, and to Japan and the United States. Children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, and forced mining and agricultural labor. Poverty forces thousands of Bolivians to migrate or work in sub-standard conditions, thus placing large numbers at risk of being trafficked. Thousands of children travel from poor rural to urban areas and fall victim to trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Bolivian workers have been trafficked to sweatshops in Argentina and Brazil, and to Chile for involuntary servitude. Illegal migrants from countries outside the region transit Bolivia; some may be trafficking victims. Unregulated land borders facilitate land-based trafficking between Bolivia and neighboring countries.

The Government of Bolivia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Bolivia failed to pass key anti-traffick-ing laws or to enforce existing laws sanctioning trafficking-related crimes. Even in the context of its political crises and resource limitations, the government accomplished little.

Prosecution

The government made little effort to investigate potential trafficking cases and lacked an anti-traf-ficking law enforcement strategy during the reporting period. The government prosecuted no trafficking cases in 2004. At the end of 2004, the National Police created an anti-trafficking unit, although it has yet to produce concrete results. Laws prohibiting slavery and trafficking for exploitation exist, but the government was not able to report any instances when these laws were applied during the reporting period. Budgetary limitations and pervasive corruption in public institutions severely limited the government’s ability to apply laws related to trafficking.

Protection

The national government offered no protection services to trafficking victims during the reporting period. The government’s scarce resources resulted in severely limited funding for social welfare programs in general. Over 200 municipalities provided various services to minors who were victims of crime but few local governments had the capacity to care for trafficking victims. NGOs attempting to fill the gap provided some care and rehabilitation services, principally to assist child victims. Individual officials occasionally paid personally to send victims home. The government lacked a policy for rescuing victims and officials were not trained to identify them.

Prevention

The government’s trafficking prevention efforts fell short in educating officials and the public. The Vice Ministry of Children’s Affairs partnered with the Organization of American States and IOM in late 2004 to conduct public seminars to highlight the urgency of the trafficking problem. Interagency efforts to coordinate government actions and public awareness regarding child exploitation included anti-trafficking elements but were largely focused on other child welfare issues. Officials demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding the differences between illegal migration, illegal adoption, and trafficking. Public awareness campaigns focused on eradication of child labor and illegal adoption.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a country of origin, transit, and destination for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Trafficked children, often ethnic Roma, are victims of forced labor. Victims most commonly come from Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Romania and, increasingly, Serbia and Montenegro. Victims often transit en route to Slovenia, Croatia, and Western Europe. Many of the victims from BiH and Serbia and Montenegro are trafficked throughout the former Yugoslav republics and then back again in a seasonal, rotating pattern.

The Government of BiH does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government continued to strengthen its law enforcement response and anti-corruption efforts in relation to trafficking. The government should accelerate its efforts to formalize a victim referral mechanism and ensure implementation so that victims are afforded proper protections as soon as possible. The government should also encourage increased identification of victims, facilitate and encourage the aggressive and efficient prosecution of trafficking crimes, and deliver sufficient punishments. BiH should ensure the speedy drafting and adoption of appropriate legislation regarding assistance to domestic victims of trafficking.

Prosecution

The Government of BiH continued steady application of its anti-trafficking statute in 2004. The police investigated and submitted to prosecutors a total of 47 cases. Of this number, the courts handed down a total of 18 verdicts, 12 of which resulted in convictions. Length of sentences imposed by the courts improved somewhat, but many continued to be one year or less. The BiH criminal code provides for penalties of up to ten years’ imprisonment. Four major anti-trafficking strike force investigations resulted in three convictions and one prosecution, which is ongoing. The government increased its capacity to prevent and respond to incidents of corruption and continued to investigate cases of official complicity in trafficking. In October 2004, the government arrested a police officer attempting to traffic two victims at the border with Serbia and Montenegro; he was suspended from duty, indicted, and currently awaits trial. The anti-trafficking strike force expanded a major investigation, begun in 2003, into the involvement of BiH consular officials in visa irregularities; criminal charges have been filed against a consular section chief, and the case is ongoing. In 2004, the State Coordinator’s Office provided four training seminars addressing trafficking-related investigation and prosecutions for judges, prosecutors, and police. The State Border Service (SBS) trained its officers on victim identification, interviewing techniques, and referral procedures. In January 2005, the SBS introduced a 24-hour hotline available to the general public to make anonymous reports of all crime and register complaints about unprofessional behavior by border agents.

Protection

Government of BiH protection measures for victims of trafficking remained inadequate during the reporting period. The government did not formalize victim referral procedures, but development of such procedures was underway. The government developed a new rulebook and bylaws on the protection of foreign victims of trafficking to allow for issuance of humanitarian visas to victims. BiH prosecutors may request protected status for victims, and protected victims may be housed in shelters or in private residences. The government did not implement a systematic screening system. As a result, some victims were not identified and were thus denied proper protections and subject to potential deportation. In practice, however, deportation orders were rarely enforced. Regrettably, some victims fell back into the hands of their traffickers. The government in 2005 provided funding for six NGO-run shelters throughout BiH. The State Coordinator developed and signed memoranda of understanding to unify shelter standards in cooperation with local NGOs, and local police provided security. In 2004, IOM and local NGOs assisted 114 victims, but they reported that shelters were underutilized.

Prevention

In 2004, the government partnered with the EU police mission and several NGOs and international organizations to implement and plan two public awareness and educational campaigns targeting potential victims, customers, and school children. The government also aired public service announcements and talk shows regarding trafficking on state-owned television stations. The Foreign Ministry continued to conduct training for consular officers to increase recognition of potential victims and, in 2004, began requiring personal interviews for all visa applicants.

Brazil is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Women and girls are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation and to neighboring countries in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. The ILO estimated in 2002 that 450,000 children, mostly girls, are employed as domestic servants and vulnerable to abuse. Approximately 70,000 Brazilians, mostly women, are engaged in prostitution in foreign countries and many are trafficking victims; their major destinations are countries in Europe, particularly Spain, and South America and Japan. Sex tourists target young Brazilians, particularly in the resort areas and cities of Brazil’s northeast. Trafficking for forced agricultural labor remains a major problem, with most of the more than 25,000 victims recruited from small towns in Brazil’s northeast. Authorities have uncovered cases of Bolivian men, women, and children trafficked to work in sweatshops; Chinese and Koreans have been trafficked to Brazil for similar exploitation.

The Government of Brazil does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Brazil needs to strengthen law enforcement efforts against traffickers and update anti-trafficking legislation to impose tough sanctions against internal and transnational trafficking of humans of all ages and both genders. Of particular concern are the government’s insufficient efforts to confront widespread trafficking for the purpose of forced labor.

Prosecution

The government’s law enforcement efforts remained inadequate and hampered by antiquated trafficking statutes during the reporting period. The country’s existing anti-trafficking law addresses only transnational trafficking of women for sexual exploitation; it lacks strong criminal penalties for labor trafficking, which is a significant problem in Brazil. Brazilian courts handed down only three convictions for transnational trafficking for sexual exploitation in 2004; prison sentences imposed ranged from eight to 30 years. Government teams investigated approximately 250 complaints regarding forced labor and rescued 2,743 victims of forced labor in 2004; employers generally paid fines and compensation to rescued victims and risked losing access to government financial aid programs, but did not face criminal prosecution. The Federal Police worked with counterparts in Spain, Italy, Canada, Portugal, and Switzerland on combating trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, including some child sex tourism cases.

Protection

The government geared most of its protective efforts toward domestic victims, particularly children, and provided some funding to NGOs active in victim assistance. Service providers assisted a wide range of victims of exploitation, not just trafficking victims. The Sentinela program provided more than 400 screening centers throughout the country to evaluate and refer at-risk children. Two newly established state-level anti-trafficking offices began screening victims, and referred cases to NGOs and federal police. Brazilians trafficked abroad received significantly less assistance, though the government initiated training for diplomats working in destination countries. Seven reference centers throughout the country worked with victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and the State of Sao Paulo opened an office at Sao Paulo’s international airport to assist repatriated Brazilian trafficking victims.

Prevention

Brazil’s President has raised the profile of human trafficking as a problem and has declared the fight against trafficking a national priority. The federal government established a Comprehensive Program for the Prevention and Fight Against Trafficking and funded national public information campaigns to combat child sex tourism and trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Information campaigns also raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking for sexual exploitation through brochures distributed with newly issued Brazilian passports, radio spots, and poster campaigns at Brazil’s major airports. The State Governments of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Ceara, and Goias established anti-trafficking offices in 2004 to improve coordination and implementation of public awareness campaigns and cooperation and training for civil society, including businesses and workers in the travel industry. The Ministry of Justice continued training judges, police, social workers, and psychologists on recognizing and combating trafficking.

Bulgaria is a transit country and, to a lesser extent, a country of origin and destination for young women and girls trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Bulgarian citizens are also internally trafficked for sexual exploitation. Victims are primarily trafficked from Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Russia, and Central Asia through Bulgaria into Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Roma children continue to be disproportionately represented among victims.

The Government of Bulgaria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. In 2004, the government adopted a more active role in prevention and protection, stepped up its enforcement efforts, and took important preliminary steps to implement its anti-trafficking legislation, including the adoption of a national strategy and passage of comprehensive victim witness protection legislation. However, the government should take concrete measures to build victim protection capacity by ensuring that the local-level anti-trafficking commissions are established and supported. Moreover, it should ensure the consolidation of comprehensive trafficking data to segregate alien smuggling and human trafficking statistics. In 2004, the Government of Bulgaria commendably expanded an anti-corruption campaign and heightened its focus on high-level corruption; however, it should proactively demonstrate the will to counter all trafficking-related complicity through vigorous prosecutions and convictions.

Prosecution

In 2004, Bulgaria made considerable progress in implementing its 2003 anti-trafficking legislation, with an increase in convictions and indictments for trafficking-related offenses. The government reported seven convictions and 27 indictments for suspected trafficking cases under the new trafficking provisions of the criminal code. During the reporting period, the National Investigation Service developed a methodology for investigating trafficking cases, which was also distributed to police. Further, the government reported almost 900 sentences in 2004 for trafficking-related offenses, including forced prostitution, inducement to prostitution, and people smuggling. While high-level government officials publicly spoke out against trafficking and there is no evidence of government involvement in trafficking on an institutional level, there have been reports of law enforcement officials’ involvement in trafficking-related corruption. Notably, the Prosecution Service and the Military Prosecution Service in 2004 made a number of anti-corruption indictments resulting in over 100 convictions for official malfeasance.

Protection

In November 2004, the Government of Bulgaria adopted witness protection legislation that includes coverage for victims of trafficking. This legislation will provide special protection measures for victims and their families who are cooperating with investigations and prosecutions of traffickers. The Bulgarian government also created a special provision that allows for residency and employment of trafficking victims while they participate in criminal proceedings. The government reported one instance of the use of these protections. The Ministry of Interior reportedly identified and assisted 474 victims of trafficking in 2004.

Prevention

In February 2005, the Bulgarian Government adopted a National Anti-Trafficking Strategy and dedicated funding to support the work of the National Anti-Trafficking Commission. Notably, the commission subsequently appointed a secretary general to manage the day-to-day implementation of the national strategy. The government continued its strong cooperation with NGOs to conduct prevention and awareness programs for law enforcement personnel, as well as a new program for consular officers posted at Bulgarian embassies abroad. The government sustained its prevention efforts aimed at vulnerable groups, including providing street children with educational and psychological services by placing them in protective custody.

Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. To a lesser extent, Burkinabe women are trafficked to Europe for prostitution. Burkinabe children are trafficked to Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Mali. Burkinabe boys are trafficked within the country for exploitation as agricultural laborers, domestics, metal workers, wood workers, and miners. Burkinabe girls are trafficked internally for exploitation as domestic servants, beggars, and prostitutes. Burkina Faso is a transit country for trafficked Malian children bound for other West African countries. Children from Benin and Togo are trafficked into Burkina Faso for forced labor.

The Government of Burkina Faso does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government made minimal gains over the past year to combat trafficking, including an agreement with the Government of Mali to cooperate on trans-border child trafficking. A 2003 anti-trafficking law has yet to be used. The government should boost its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, and regional cooperation on fighting cross-border trafficking in children. It should also initiate improved prevention campaigns.

Prosecution

The government made modest gains in the area of law enforcement over the reporting period. However, the 2003 anti-trafficking law on child trafficking, which carries strong penalties, has never been used. In 2004, 41 child traffickers were arrested, 16 convicted, and 15 are currently imprisoned and awaiting trial. Additionally, four child trafficking networks were dismantled. The government forged an agreement with the Government of Mali to address trans-border child trafficking.

Protection

Due to resource constraints, the government struggles to implement a sufficient protection plan for trafficking victims. Minimal support is provided for Burkinabe children; foreign victims are deported. There is one center in Ouagadougou to aid with the social reintegration of at-risk children. In collaboration with UNICEF, the government has also established 19 transit centers for trafficked children throughout the country. These centers served over 900 children in 2004. Victims are not treated as criminals and their rights are generally respected. The government is unable, due to lack of resources, to directly fund NGOs; however it does collaborate with NGOs and international organizations for the reintegration of trafficked children. Twenty Burkinabe child trafficking victims were repatriated as a result of the agreement with Mali in 2004.

Prevention

The government recognizes that trafficking is a problem, and has implemented some degree of prevention efforts in the country. However, lack of resources inhibits its ability to carryout any long-term anti-trafficking prevention campaign. The government supported Vigilance and Surveillance Committees, which are in place in 12 of the 13 regions of the country. The government provided training on how to identify and aid trafficking victims to the committees, which now exist in 39 of the country's 45 provinces.

Burma is a source country for women and men trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Burmese men, women, and children (primarily from the country’s ethnic minority populations) are trafficked to Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Korea, Macau, and Japan for forced labor — including commercial labor — involuntary domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. To a lesser extent, Burma is a destination for women from the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) who are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas, such as truck stops, fishing villages, border towns, and mining and military camps. The junta's policy of using forced labor is a driving factor behind Burma’s large trafficking problem.

The Government of Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. While Burma has made improved efforts to combat trafficking for sexual exploitation, significant state-sanctioned use (especially by the military) of forced labor continued. The Burmese armed forces continued to force ethnic minorities to serve as porters during military operations in ethnic areas. There also are continuing reports that some children were forced to join the Burmese Army. Although eight local officials were convicted in January 2005 on charges of forced labor, the Burmese Government supported or tolerated the use of forced labor for large infrastructure projects. The government sentenced three individuals to death for communicating with the ILO on the subject of forced labor. Because of the Burmese Government’s failure to end forced labor, the ILO postponed implementation of a plan of action to address such practices. During the reporting period, the government took some steps to combat trafficking for sexual exploitation, including drafting anti-trafficking legislation and improving cooperation with UN agencies, neighboring countries, and NGOs.

Prosecution

Over the past year, the Burmese Government made progress in addressing trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, including establishing a police task force to combat trafficking, enhancing cooperation with Burma’s neighbors, and beginning to draft anti-trafficking legislation. The Burmese Government made only minimal progress in prosecuting cases involving trafficking for forced labor. Since July 2002, the government claims it prosecuted 474 cases related to trafficking for sexual exploitation and smuggling; an indeterminate number of these cases actually involved severe forms of trafficking in persons. Authorities also convicted eight local officials for using forced labor in a road construction project, sentencing the offenders to six to eight months’ imprisonment. The government created a police anti-trafficking unit in 2004 and stationed the unit’s teams in border towns to monitor and interdict trafficking. The Burmese Government is developing an anti-trafficking law, but currently uses kidnapping and prostitution statutes to arrest and prosecute traffickers. Corruption continued to be a major problem. Although local and regional officials were suspected of complicity in trafficking, the Burmese Government reported no prosecutions of corrupt government officials related to trafficking. The Burmese military continued to carry out trafficking abuses including forced portering and other forced labor.

Protection

During the reporting period, the Burmese Government provided minimal assistance to victims. Burma’s protection included a repatriation center on the Thailand-Burma border, but its overall efforts were hampered by a lack of adequate funding. The government continued to refer victims to NGOs and international organizations that provide protection for victims of trafficking. The Burmese Government also coordinated the repatriation of a limited number of victims from Thailand with international NGOs and provided limited counseling and job training for returning victims trafficked for sexual exploitation. The government did not provide assistance to victims trafficked internally for forced labor, nor did it fund international or domestic NGOs that provide protective services to victims. The Ministry of Home Affairs’ Anti-Trafficking Unit received training on various aspects of investigating and handling trafficking cases.

Prevention

The Burmese Government’s efforts to prevent trafficking remained inadequate. Governmental measures to prevent trafficking for sexual exploitation include publicizing the dangers in border areas through government-sponsored discussion groups, distribution of printed materials, and media programming. However, these efforts remained under-funded. The government also conducted awareness workshops at the local level on the dangers of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Burundi is a source country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced child soldiering. The country is emerging from a 12-year civil war in which government and rebel forces used approximately 3,200 children in a variety of capacities, including as cooks, porters, spies, sex slaves, and combatants. There are reports that the government army and two former rebel groups — the CNDDFDD (Nkurunziza) and the CNDD (Nyangoma) — still have a small number of children in their ranks. While there were unconfirmed reports that these two rebel groups recruited boys in 2004, there were no reports that the army recruited child soldiers. The one rebel faction that remains outside the peace process, the PALOPEHUTU-FNL, continued to recruit and use child soldiers.

The Government of Burundi does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the year, the government continued to demobilize large numbers of child soldiers and launched extensive public awareness campaigns to ease their reintegration into local communities. To further its efforts to combat trafficking, the gov-ernment should continue cooperating fully with the international community to demobilize all remaining child soldiers from its military ranks and reintegrate them into their home communities. It should also continue to educate local communities to encourage acceptance of returning combatants, and take steps to bring to justice those who continue to forcibly conscript and utilize child soldiers.

Prosecution

Burundi has no law specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons, but laws against kidnapping, slavery, smuggling, and prostitution effectively outlaw trafficking in persons. Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation can be prosecuted under anti-slavery legislation and carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment or death. During the year, the government investigated and prosecuted one case of alleged trafficking of Congolese refugee women to Lebanon. Although the investigation and subsequent court proceedings ultimately determined it to be a case of smuggling for domestic work, the government demonstrated commitment to vigorous anti-trafficking law enforcement by working closely with Lebanese authorities to investigate and bring this case to trial.

Protection

During the year, the National Structure for Child Soldiers (SNES) continued the implementation of its national plan for ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers. In 2004, the government and each of the six former rebel factions that have joined the peace process pledged to demobilize child soldiers from their ranks and began to do so. The Burundian Minister of Defense signed a decree committing the armed forces to demobilizing all children. As of February 2005, 2,920 child soldiers, including 33 girls, had been officially demobilized from the military, the Guardians of the Peace (GP) militia, and the six former rebel groups. The government, in cooperation with international organizations and NGOs, provided medical, psycho-social, educational, and other material support to demobilized child soldiers and facilitated their reintegration into civilian society. The SNES worked with the army, the GP, and the former rebel groups to compile information on the numbers of child soldiers by location and force affiliation.

Prevention

The depth and scope of preventative measures increased substantially over the reporting period. In 2004, the SNES, with assistance from UNICEF, the World Bank, and NGOs, conducted numerous public awareness campaigns to combat the recruitment and use of child soldiers. At the national level, the SNES aired media campaigns on public and private radio stations, and held public seminars to raise awareness of the issue of child soldiers among military and government officials, church groups, youth associations, civil society groups, and students. At the local level, it provided comprehensive training to leaders in each of Burundi’s communes, who in turn advocated locally against the recruitment of child soldiers and held public seminars on children’s rights and reintegrating child soldiers into local communities. The government also supported a program to assist internally displaced children in attending school; these children are particularly vulnerable to conscription as child soldiers. International financial and technical support was a key element to the success of all of these programs.

Cambodia is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. A significant number of Cambodian women and children are trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia for labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Cambodian men are primarily trafficked to Thailand for labor exploitation in the construction and agricultural sectors, particularly the fishing industry. Cambodian children are trafficked to Vietnam and Thailand to work as street beggars. Cambodia is a transit and destination point for women from Vietnam who are trafficked for prostitution.

The Government of Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Cambodia is placed on Tier 3 for its lack of progress in combating severe forms of trafficking, particularly its failure to convict traffickers and public officials involved in trafficking. During the last year, the Cambodian Government failed to take effective action to ensure that those responsible for the raid on an NGO shelter for trafficking victims were held accountable and brought to justice. The Cambodian Government’s failure to act calls into question Cambodia’s commitment to combating human trafficking. Cambodia’s anti-trafficking efforts remained hampered by systemic corruption and an ineffectual judicial system. The government must take aggressive measures to prosecute and convict traffickers and public officials found to be involved in trafficking, and confront the corruption in its judicial system that hampers prosecutions of traffickers.

Prosecution

During the reporting period, the Cambodian Government made no significant progress in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Prosecutions of suspected traffickers dropped significantly, despite a small increase in the number of arrests. The Cambodian Government’s response to an attack on an NGO shelter for trafficking victims and removal of suspected trafficking victims was unsatisfactory. Moreover, the government did not adequately investigate or hold accountable those who were responsible for the attack. Cambodia does not have a comprehensive anti-trafficking law but it used existing statutes to prosecute traffickers. Penalties for trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation carry sentences of up to 20 years’ imprisonment. The National Assembly has not yet acted on a draft anti-trafficking bill that would provide law enforcement and judicial officials with more powers to arrest and prosecute traffickers. In 2004, the Cambodian police reported 165 arrests but only 24 successful prosecutions. Despite the number of arrests, there were few actual convictions of traffickers. There was no available information on the length of sentences for trafficking-related cases. Systemic corruption and a weak judiciary remain the most serious impediments to the effective prosecution of traffickers. Senior Cambodian Government officials and their family members are reportedly involved in or profit from trafficking activities but there were no trafficking-related prosecutions of corrupt officials.

Protection

The Cambodian Government continued to refer victims to NGOs and international organizations with victim protection programs. The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation operated two temporary shelters for victims, but the government relied primarily on foreign and domestic NGOs to provide shelter to victims. The Cambodian Government also supported an NGO that places trafficking victims in long-term shelters. Victims in Cambodia are not treated as criminals and have the right to seek legal action against traffickers, but seldom do.

Prevention

The government continued its efforts to raise awareness of trafficking by cooperating with numerous NGOs and international organizations. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MWA) continued to carry out information campaigns, including grassroots meetings in key provinces. The MWA worked with IOM to expand a nationwide anti-trafficking information and advocacy campaign that included district-level meetings with government officials and the distribution of educational materials and videos. During the reporting period, the Anti-Trafficking Police Unit conducted an outreach program to warn high school students of the dangers of trafficking. The Ministry of Tourism produced pamphlets and advertisements warning tourists of the penalties for engaging in sex with minors, and conducted workshops for hospitality staff on how to identify and intervene in cases of trafficking or sexual exploitation of children.

Cameroon is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Most trafficking is internal and children are at greatest risk. Traffickers use fraudulent marriage proposals to lure women to Europe, principally France and Switzerland, for exploitation in prostitution. Children are trafficked to the United Kingdom for commercial sexual exploitation. Girls are trafficked internally from Anglophone areas to Francophone cities such as Douala and Yaounde to work in exploitative conditions as domestics, street vendors, or prostitutes. Children are also trafficked for forced labor on cocoa plantations. Children trafficked between Nigeria and Gabon transit Cameroon. Cameroon is a destination country for Nigerian children trafficked and exploited in commercial agriculture, prostitution, and street vending, or in small shops.

The Government of Cameroon does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cameroon is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to fight trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement. The government lacks an approved national strategy for combating trafficking and has no system for collecting data on trafficking-related or any other type of crime. Without case information, it is difficult to gauge national efforts to combat trafficking and prosecute traffickers. Cameroon should coordinate national efforts, develop a system to collect case data, and educate officials and communities about the signs and dangers of trafficking.

Prosecution

The government was unable to provide information regarding investigations, prosecutions, and convictions specifically related to trafficking during the reporting period. Law enforcement operations lacked central monitoring or coordination. Cameroon had no comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation but penal code provisions prohibit slavery, sexual assault, pimping, and use of persons to secure loans, with sentences ranging from six months to 20 years in prison. The government provided no specialized anti-trafficking training to officials, due in large part to a lack of resources. Corruption is a problem throughout Cameroon but the government made efforts to combat this through anti-corruption agencies in most ministries.

Protection

Over the last year, government assistance was available to identified trafficking victims, both citizens and foreign nationals, and included temporary residency status, shelter, and medical care. The government worked with the ILO to remove 450 children from cocoa plantations and educate another 100 children at risk of forced labor on the plantations as part of a project targeting education and retraining assistance to child cocoa workers and their parents. The government lacked the resources to fund NGO assistance to trafficking victims; child victims were referred to government centers sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs, to local NGO centers, or to shelter in orphanages until they could be reunited with their families. Officials did not treat victims as criminals and families of victims could file civil suits against traffickers.

Prevention

The government’s prevention efforts during the reporting period were inadequate, though it worked well with NGOs and international organizations that funded and implemented some prevention programs. The Ministry of Social Affairs, with UNICEF funding, completed a study in April 2004 on child trafficking in the Adamaoua, Far North, North, and South Provinces. The study pointed to the urgent need for anti-trafficking measures to prevent the development of organized trafficking in the regions surveyed. The Government of Cameroon signed a partnership agreement with ILO in October 2004 to further build trafficking awareness among the public and coordinated with ILO on a program focused on street children vulnerable to trafficking. The Ministry of Education continued to collaborate with the ILO to work with high school students on trafficking prevention.

Canada is primarily a destination and transit country for women trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation. Women and children are trafficked from Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia for sexual exploitation. To a lesser extent, men, women, and children are trafficked for forced labor. There is internal trafficking of Canadians for the sex trade. The majority of foreign victims transiting Canada are bound for the United States. Numbers are hard to gauge, but in February 2004, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) estimated that 800 persons are trafficked into Canada annually and that an additional 1,500-2,200 persons are trafficked through Canada into the United States. Some estimate that this number is much higher.

The Government of Canada fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The Government of Canada has comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation and has dedicated resources to combat trafficking in persons. Over the year, Canada increased efforts to prosecute and conviction traffickers. However, law enforcement efforts in key provinces like British Columbia — through which a significant number of Korean and other female victims are trafficked to the United States — were weak in 2004. Canada struggles to identify trafficking victims inside clandestine migrant smuggling operations. There are growing concerns that South Koreans and others may be abusing the lack of a visa requirement to enter Canada to facilitate the trafficking of men and women, mainly to the United States. To enhance its anti-trafficking efforts, Canada needs to use its anti-trafficking law to vigorously increase investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and conviction